The Nuggets may have had Nikola Jokic at the All-Star Game this season, but that wasn't enough to motivate them to watch last Sunday's All-Star Game. Aaron Gordon, who marked the dunk contest (without winning it), and Peyton Watson thus preferred to take a vacation together rather than making the trip to Indianapolis.
“ We had better things to do, we were in Aspen having snowball fights » laughed Peyton Watson in the columns from the Denver Post. His coach Mike Malone followed the example… And he is very happy about it!
Coach last season of “Team LeBron”, the 2023 NBA champion expressed how the experience had left him with bad memories. Even less defensive on Sunday, the All-Star Game greatly disappointed observers, of which Mike Malone was not one. “ I didn't spend a single minute watching anything from All-Star Weekend and I'm glad I did » assured the Nuggets technician without remorse.
An All-Star Game copied from the NFL Pro Bowl?
There is therefore no point in asking him how to relaunch the event, one of the main topics of recent days, and one of the sea serpents of mid-February for years.
“ I know the league is doing everything they can to make it a more competitive game, and that hasn't been the case. I don't know what she can do. You can't force players to play hard. You can't force players to care » explains the coach.
Mike Malone also plays devil's advocate, and assures that he understands the stars' concern about the risk of injury. “ Your primary duty and obligation is to your team » he believes. So the former Kings coach suggests taking on the spectacle and entertainment dimension of the event. “ Maybe they should do like the Pro Bowl » explains Mike Malone, using the example of the NFL where the all-star meeting is a set of mini-games rather than a real match. “ Have an All-Star Weekend after the season is over, and everyone can go and have fun. There's nothing competitive about it. »
One more avenue for the NBA for future editions? It is true that the competition between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu, without any real trophy stakes, was the highlight of this 2024 opus.
